Ten Facts About the Chinese New Year

Here are some basic Chinese New Year facts to get started with. But first, you may want to learn about the origins of the holiday. You can also read more about the traditions and superstitions of Chinese New Year. Tune into Chinese New Year Horoscopes to find out what the next 12 months holds for your star sign or check out the top ten Chinese New Year superstitions.

The date for Chinese New Year varies from year to year based on the lunar cycle. It always falls sometime in January or February.

The whole holiday actually lasts fifteen days.There will be celebrations and events going on over the whole holiday.

The most important day of Chinese New Year is Chinese New Year’s eve and the first day of Chinese New Year – the latter is traditionally the day for the Chinese New Year parade. People in Hong Kong will take two or three days off work, while in China they take up to a week.

It’s estimated that a sixth of the world celebrate Chinese New Year, including more than 1 billion Chinese citizens. In recent years, celebrations in New York, London and other global cities has spread from the local Chinatowns to become mainstream events. Chinese New Year rivals Christmas as the world's most celebrated event.

Chinese New Year is the world’s largest human migration as Chinese workers travel home to their families.Each year sets a new record as the Chinese population grows.

In 2010 an estimated 210 million people hit the planes, buses, and trains – that's the equivalent to the whole population of Brazil packing their suitcases. In China, where much of the migration takes place, it’s been claimed that trains are so overcrowded that people wear diapers for their +24hr journeys home.

The world record for most texts sent in a day is broken each year during Chinese New Year. The current record stands at 19 billion.

Depending on who you listen to, Chinese New Year in 2018 is either 4716, 4715, or 4655 - and we still don’t have flying cars or hover skateboards.

Chinese New Year isn’t only celebrated in China. In Vietnam, Singapore and some other Asian countries, they also celebrate the “Lunar New Year” as well as in Chinatown’s around the world. It's called lunar because the date is based on the movement of the moon - not on alien worship as suggested by more than one or two people.

Always a country that likes the supersize option, China currently holds the record for the world’s largest organized fireworks display. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, fireworks are let off all over the country, from displays in every town and city centres to more local improvisation in farmyards and gardens. You'll also find firecrackers being thrown about - although it's not always legal.